Starring Eminem: Super Bowl Ads 2011

This super bowl series of commercials was filled with themes of violence, nostalgia, references to the actual making of a commercial (within a commercial), the havock that may ensue while house-sitting, and…. Eminem? The rapper’s first appearance came in the form of a half-cartoon-character version of Eminem, starring in a Brisk commercial. The next ad in which Eminem starred was Chrysler’s “Motor City” spot. Unfortunately for Chrysler, the angry character figure of Eminem from Brisk who appeared first in the series of ads ended the commercial furiously screaming “SEE?! THIS IS WHY I DON’T DO COMMERCIALS!”… And then a few minutes later, took on the serious role of a rapper from Detroit for Chrysler.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1DHo8fYFsd0

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SKL254Y_jtc

Because I’m a corn ball, I love the frequency of a very common theme I found among the commercials; The use of nostalgia! Ads that feature nostalgia or memories from the past meant to evoke emotion include:

Chevy Volt: “History can be made anywhere; a classroom, a lab, etc.”

Hyundai: Asks ‘what if we always settled with the first thing?’ and shows people walking around with the first cell phones

BMW X3: Combines nostalgia of hometown football players with national pride

NFL’s own commercial for the Superbowl, which shuffles through flash backs of old and new television clips

Chrysler: Nostalgic about Detroit and it’s history

Mercedes, which depicts every line of Mercedes made, back to the oldest version all gathering together.

Reflecting on these ads, every single nostalgic theme is in a car commercial! Interesting…

Another interesting, recurring theme among Superbowl commercials were references to the actual making of a commercial. This plot is very creative, because it allows the narrator to say/do pretty much whatever they want, since it’s not so much a real commercial as it is an imagination of what could-be for the commercial. Brands who employed the reference to an actual making of a commercial are Bud Light (Product Placement Ad),  Brisks Ad (with Eminem in it as the questionable commercial host), Go Daddy.Co (woman doesn’t want to walk out half-naked, but has to because it’s “in the contract for the commercial), and the Chevy Camaro ad (in which the narrator describes the ideal Chrysler commercial, meanwhile the Chrysler is actually driving through each absurd and unique scene the man describes from his imagination).

All in all, a very interesting compilation of commercials for this years Superbowl!